I was the Mom on the sidelines with a Camera! Yes, I wanted to capture those moments that I and my children and my family could look back at and cherish.
I wanted to freeze those moments in time and never let them go. Then, I began to do this for other Moms and Dads. Moms and Dads could sit and enjoy the game while I ran up and down the sidelines photographing our children playing football and soccer and at 1st Base or 3rd Base line photographing baseball or softball.
Soon, not only was I taking the single shots, but I was gathering the single shots and creating composites. A lot of hard work that to this day hang in their family’s homes! That was back in 2009.
The thing was, I was making so little money - afraid to “charge too much”. I was afraid of what people would think. Who did I think I was, charging so much?
Someone once told me after she viewed some of my work under my tent, “No thanks, I’ll just use my phone. I’m not paying that for photos. I don’t know why you’re not giving them away”. I was crushed! Even though many loved my work and were happy to pay what I asked, that Mom made me feel like I was being dishonest in some way. It didn’t matter that I was trying to run my own small business and doing everything involved with that. I still worried what people would think. I still undercharged. For a long time.
It took me a while before I set up my tent again. While I was gone I did a deep dive into what I really wanted, in terms of what I wanted to charge, and when I came back I raised my prices, having gained confidence in my ability to take and deliver beautiful photos and decided it’s my business - I’ll charge whatever I’d like!
I raised my prices and something wonderful happened. Everything changed. People seemed to have not only missed my service and no one never quibbled about my pricing, even though I’d changed it. Soon I had so much business, I had to hire 2 others to assist me. Accepting more money for my hard work was so gratifying and fulfilling for me.
0 Comments